MEETINGS 3: POINTS OF VIEW BUSINESS VOCABULARY IN USE

 

BUSINESS VOCABULARY IN USE 56. MEETINGS 3: POINTS OF VIEW

 

A Opening the meeting Carla Eagleton, executive of Creative Advertising, is opening a meeing. Then she says ‘As you know, I’ve called this meeting to discuss the situation in the design department. The designers have a lot of freedom to work as they wish, but it seems that things are getting out of control …’ She also could have said: B Inviting people to speak Carla then uses some of these expressions. Inviting someone to start: • Would you like to open the discussion, Greta? • Perhaps you’d like to get the ball rolling, Greta. • Greta, would you like to kick off? Asking for one person’s opinion: • What about you, Keith? • What are your feelings on this, Keith? C Making your point The other participants use some of these expressions. a. Head of human resources: I believe the design department needs a certain amount of freedom, but there are limits. b. Head of design: As I see it, I can’t run the design department as if it was the accounts department. c. Chief financial officer: In my opinion, they’re going much too far. I can’t bear to think of the costs involved. d. Senior designer: Of course, we are sensitive types and need to be given the freedom to work how we like. EXERCISES 56.1 Which of these expressions from A opposite are correct? Correct the mistakes. 1. It’s about time we get started. 2. Let’s begin, let we? 3. Shall we make a start? 4. Let’s do a start. 56.2 Look at B opposite and make these invitations to speak less aggressive and more natural. 1. John, kick off. 2. Kay, open the discussion. 3. Len, get the ball rolling. 4. Monica, tell us what you think. 5. Nigel, give us your views. 6. Olive, what do you feel? 56.3 Match the sentence beginnings (1-5) with the correct endings (a-e). the sentences all contain expressions from C opposite. 1 The way a I think that the prizes we win help us to attract and keep the best designers. 2 Personally, b as if the design people think of themselves as living on another planet.

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